Knives
Parts of a Knife
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A.
B.
C.
D.
Point
Tip
Blade
Back
Parts of a Knife
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E. Cutting Edge
F. Bolster or Shank-spot where the blade and the
handle come together. Prevents food particles from
entering the space between the tang and the handle.
G. Heel
Parts of the Knife
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H. Rivets-metal pieces that fasten the handle to the tang.
Should be smooth and lie flush with the handle’s surface.
I. Handle-can be made of several types of material.
J. Tang-part of the blade that continues into the knife’s handle.
Some knives have a full tang and some have a partial tang.
Knife Construction
Metals most often used for knife blades
are stainless steel and high-carbon
stainless steel.
 Stainless steel is a hard durable metal
made of chromium and carbon steel. It
doesn’t rust or discolor and will not
transfer a metallic taste to food. It is
hard to sharpen.
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Knife Construction
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High-carbon stainless steel is a mix of iron,
carbon, chromium, and other metals that
combine the best features of stainless steel
and carbon steel.
It does not rust, discolor, and can be
sharpened easily.
High-carbon stainless steel is the most
common metal used for knives in the
professional kitchen.
Types of Knives
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Chef’s Knife
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Also called a French
Knife is the most
important tool in the
chef’s tool kit.
Used for peeling,
trimming, chopping,
slicing and dicing.
Types of Knives
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Utility Knife
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Smaller, but similar in shape to a chef’s
knife.
It is an all-purpose knife with a 5-7” blade.
Mainly used for peeling and slicing fruits
and vegetables.
Types of Knives
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Slicer
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Has a long, thin blade
that is ideal for cutting
large foods such as meat
and poultry.
The blade may be rigid
or flexible. It may also
be serrated.
Used to slice coarse
foods such as bread and
cake without tearing.
Types of Knives
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Boning Knife
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A small knife with a
thin, angled 5-7”
blade.
Used to remove
bones from meat,
fish and poultry.
Can also use the
knife to trim the fat
from meat.
Types of Knives
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Paring Knife
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Has a rigid blade
that is only 2-4”
long.
Use the paring knife
to pare, or trim off a
thin outer layer or
peel from fruits and
vegetables.
Types of Knives
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Tournée Knife
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Similar in size to the
paring knife.
Has a curved blade
that looks like a
bird’s beak.
Used to trim
potatoes and
vegetables into
shapes that resemble
footballs.
Types of Knives
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Fillet Knife
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Has an 8-9” blade
with a pointed tip.
The blade may be
rigid or flexible.
Mainly used to fillet
fish.
Types of Knives
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Butcher Knife
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Has a 6-14” rigid blade
whose tip curves up at a
25° angle. It is
sometimes called a
scimitar because its
curved blade resembles a
saber by that name.
Used to cut meat, poultry
and fish.
Using a Knife Safely
Use the correct knife for the task.
 Keep knives sharp. A dull knife is more
dangerous than a sharp one.
 Always cut with the blade facing away
from your body.
 Always cut on a cutting board. Do not
cut on glass, marble or metal.
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Using a Knife Safely
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When carrying a knife, hold it point down,
parallel and close to your leg as you walk.
A falling knife has no handle. Do not attempt
to catch a falling knife; step back and allow it
to fall.
When you are passing a knife to someone,
lay the knife down on the work surface and
pass it by carefully holding the dull side of the
blade with the handle facing out toward the
other person.
Using a Knife Safely
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Never leave a knife in a sink of water; anyone
reaching into the sink could be injured or the
knife could be dented by pots or other
utensils.
Never use a knife to perform inappropriate
tasks, such as opening a can or a bottle or
prying something apart.
Carefully wipe the blade from its dull side.
Do not wash knives in commercial
dishwashers. The heat and harsh chemicals
can damage the edge and handle.
Sharpening Knives
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Use a sharpening stone
called a whetstone to put an
edge on a dull knife blade.
To use a whetstone, place
the heel of the blade against
the whetstone at a 20degree angle. Press down
on the blade while pushing it
away from you in one long
arc. The entire length of the
blade should come in contact
with the stone during each
sweep.
Sharpening Knives
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A steel does not
sharpen a knife.
It is used to hone or
straighten the blade
immediately after and
between sharpenings.
Place the blade against
the steel at a 20-degree
angle. Draw the blade
along the entire length
of the steel. Repeat
several times on each
side of the blade.
Gripping the Knife
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Grip
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There are several ways
to grip a knife. Use the
grip that is most
comfortable for you or
the one dictated by the
job at hand.
Grip the knife firmly but
not so tightly that your
hand gets tired.
Avoid placing your index
finger on the top of the
blade.
Controlling the Knife
To make safe, even cuts, you need to
guide the knife with one hand while you
hold the food firmly in place with the
other hand.
 Use the sharp edge of the blade to do
the cutting.
 Use smooth even strokes and never
force the blade through the food.
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Controlling the Knife
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Keeping your fingers curled back, grip the
item being cut with three fingertips and your
thumb. Keep the tip of the knife on the
board and lift the heel of the knife.
Controlling the Knife
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Using the second joint of your index finger as
a guide, cut a slice using a smooth, even,
downward stroke. Adjust your fingers after
each slice.
Controlling the Knife
Knife Cuts
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Slicing
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Use a chef’s knife to cut the food into
large, thin pieces.
Slicing is typically used to create three
specialty cuts: Chiffonade, Rondelle, and
Diagonal.
Knife Cuts
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Chiffonade
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A preparation of
finely sliced or
shredded leafy
vegetables used as a
garnish or a base
under cold
presentations.
Knife Cuts
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Rondelles
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Disk-shaped slices.
Knife Cuts
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Diagonals
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Elongated or ovalshaped slices of
cylindrical vegetables
or fruits.
Produced with a cut
similar to that used
to cut rondelles
except that the knife
is held at an angle to
the item being cut.
Knife Cuts
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Horizontal Slicing
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To horizontal slice is
to butterfly or cut a
pocket into meats,
poultry or fish.
It is also a method of
cutting used to thinly
slice soft vegetables.
Knife Cuts
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Mincing
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To cut an item into very
small pieces. The terms
finely chopped and
minced are often used
interchangeably.
Most often used on items
such as garlic, shallots,
herbs and other foods
that do not have to be
uniform in shape.
Knife Cuts
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Dicing
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To cut an item into
cubes.
Most often used when
uniformity of size and
shape is important.
Before an item can be
diced, it must be cut into
sticks. These sticks are
then reduced through
dicing.
Use a chef’s knife.
Knife Cuts
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Julienne
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A stick-shaped item
with dimensions of
1/8” thick.
When used with
potatoes, this cut is
sometimes referred
to as an allumette.
A fine julienne has
dimensions of 1/16”
Knife Cuts
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Batonnet
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Are thicker than
julienne cuts.
Batonnet cuts are
stick-shaped with
dimensions of ¼”
Knife Cuts
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Cutting Julienne and
Batonnet
Knife Cuts
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Brunoise
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A cube shaped item
with dimensions of
1/8”x1/8”.
A 1/16 “ cube is
referred to as a fine
brunoise.
Knife Cuts
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Dice
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Small dice is ¼” cube
shaped.
Medium dice is ½” cube
shaped.
Large Dice is ¾” cube
shaped.
Paysanne is a flat,
square, round or
triangular item with
dimensions of ½”x ½” x
1/8”.
Knife Cuts
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Dicing an Onion
Knife Cuts
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Chopping Garlic
Knife Cuts
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Tournée
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A cutting technique
that results in a football shaped finished
product with seven
equal sides and flat
ends. The size of
the finished product
may vary, the most
common being 2”
long.
Knife Cuts
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Parisiennes
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Small balls or
spheres of fresh
melon can be used in
fruit salad, while tiny
spheres of carrot,
turnip, squash can
be used as a side
dish or to garnish
soup or an entrée.
Knife Cuts
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A mandoline is a nonmechanical cutting tool.
It does jobs that can be done with a chef’s
knife, such as a very thinly sliced apples or
large quantities of julienned vegetables
quickly, easily, and very accurately.
Storing Knives
Knives must be stored safety to prevent
damage to blades or to people.
 A good way to store knives is in a
slotted knife holder that is hung on the
wall, not on the side of a table.
 A knife kit is safe storage unit.
 Custom-built drawers or magnetized
bars are other storage options.
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Storing Knives